28 October 1998

MORE CONTAINER TRANSPORT ON INLAND WATERWAYS IN EUROPE

Bulgaria signs an international agreement to develop

container transport on inland waterways in Europe

Today, the Minister of Transport of Bulgaria, Mr. Wilhelm Krauss, signed the Protocol on combined transport on inland waterways to the European Agreement on Important International Combined Transport Lines and Related Installations (AGTC) of 1991. With its signature, Bulgaria became the thirteenth ECE member country which signed the Protocol.

The objectives of the Protocol, prepared by a group of experts working under the auspices of the UN/ECE, are to emphasize the importance European Governments accord to the development of combined transport services on European inland waterways and coastal routes with a view to reducing the environmental impact of transport sector. The Protocol will also provide a multilateral legal framework for promoting the use of combined transport techniques (containers, swap-bodies, semi-trailers, trucks) on European inland waterways and coastal routes. It will enhance international coordination and cooperation in planning and setting of priorities for the development of a coherent European combined transport system and infrastructures using the extensive European inland waterways network and coastal routes as well as related ports.

In order to achieve these objectives, the Protocol to the AGTC Agreement determines all important European inland waterways, canals and coastal routes that are suitable for the use of combined transport operations. The Protocol identifies all important terminals in European ports that are suitable for the use of combined transport services on inland waterways. It also determines and prescribes, as international standards, technical and operational minimum requirements that must be fulfilled by the European inland waterway network and its port terminals in order to allow for efficient international combined transport.

The AGTC Agreement (European Agreement on Important International Combined Transport Lines and Related Installations (AGTC) of 1991) prescribes the basic European combined transport (road/rail) network as well as rail infrastructure standards and operational minimum requirements and covers the whole of Europe (from Norway to Turkey and from Portugal to the Russian Federation). The following 21 countries are, at present, Contracting Parties to the AGTC Agreement: Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway , Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey.

The Protocol, which will remain opened for signature in the UN/ECE in Geneva until 31 October 1998, will enter into force after 5 States have ratified it. Three States (Czech Republic, Denmark and Switzerland) have ratified it so far.

For further information please contact:

Mr. Martin Magold

Transport Division

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Palais des Nations

CH - 1211 Geneva 10

Tel: (+41 22) 917 24 53

Fax: (+41 22) 917 24 53

E-mail: martin.magold @unece.org